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November 22, 2010

Once upon a time, there was a little fish named Nemo. Ok no, its not that kind of fish story. But I will be happy to tell you a different story.

Once upon a time there were three little foodie friends. They were all dietitians and they all worked in Napa. Sometimes, at the end of a long day they would meet for dinner at the unique and quaint restaurants that surrounded the valley. On this particular night, they headed to the Napa Riverfront, to a place call Fish Story.

What made this restaurant special is that they only served sustainable, seasonal, ocean fresh seafood, in accordance with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guidelines.

The three little foodie friends started their evening with a cocktail from the bar...a cosmopolitan.

They were given an amuse bouche...a bay shrimp croquette.

They agreed that the Hawaiian tuna tartare sounded delicious, and so they all ordered one. It was served with Asian pear, serrano, citrus zest, hazelnut oil and avocado mousse.

This little foodie friend ordered the pumpkin lobster bisque and they prepared it at the table right in front of her eyes! She also couldn't help but quote Seinfeld..."No, I mentioned the bisque" over and over.

For dessert, the three little foodie friends ordered a chocolate bread pudding topped with a Maker's Mark bourbon sauce.

Since the three little foodies had such a good night, they decided to end it with Gingerbread Wishes, a special dessert with a special purpose. The restaurant featured a fresh-baked gingerbread cookie and decorating kit, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation.

They broke their cookie into three pieces, each decorated their part, and re-united them again. The three little foodie friends always found a reason to enjoy dessert, but helping a child make a wish was by far the best reason of all.

November 16, 2010

It was my birthday this past weekend, and I have to brag that it was one of my best ones ever.

Could it be because my boyfriend gave me the most incredible present? A new camera- the Nikon D5000, which was a huge improvement over my tiny Sony point and shoot. (If my photos suddenly seem better, you now know why). Or could it be because he surprised me and took me up into the mountains for a weekend getaway? I believe its because if you put those together, throw in some tasty food, add a few drinks and finish with an outdoor hot tub in the snow, you have one happy girl.

The weekend started in downtown Denver at the brand new Four Seasons Hotel. The street address for the hotel is 1111. My birthday is 11/11. Pretty cool, eh?

He took me to Luca D'italia for dinner. I wish I could show you more pictures of the food, but we got carried away with good wine and even better conversation and before we knew it, it was time to blow out the candles.

The next morning, I was whisked away westward into the Rockies, without any idea of where we were headed. First stop, Vail.

Classic club sandwich (hold all vegetables, thats the way my boyfriend likes it)

I never thought I would say this because I never rate them, but this was the best beef stew I've ever eaten in my life.

Hot chocolate with espresso flavored vodka. A new favorite, especially for a cold winter day.

Next stop...Aspen. What a great surprise! The St. Regis was everything I imagined an Aspen hotel to be. Classic decor, polished wood furniture, oversized leather couches, a giant fireplace to warm up by, rich tapestries underfoot and incredible views.

And then we made the most incredible discovery. There is a Nobu in Aspen! Seeing as it is my favorite place to eat, I thought I knew where all the Nobu restaurants were located. Turns out, Chef Matsuhisa has a secondary chain with almost the same menu. I was elated!

Is this a good time to point out that this is my 4th mention of Nobu on my blog?

Yellowtail sashimi with Jalepeno

This dish was on special for the evening...salmon avocado roll, topped with new style salmon sashimi.

Tuna tartare taco

We were originally planning on a steak dinner, so we kept the Nobu order at just a few appetizers. We found a quaint steakhouse, Pitkin County Tavern, which had a great casual vibe and live music.

Steak with corn fritters and onion rings.

After a wonderful weekend, it was time to drive back to Denver, and to the airport. With perhaps a few photo stops along the way.